Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Merrillville, IN and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,206 a month against $2,725 in Merrillville, IN, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Merrillville, IN, United States
Lisbon, Portugal
Merrillville, IN
🇺🇸 United States
$2,725
/mo nomad
Lisbon
🇵🇹 Portugal
$2,206
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Merrillville, IN and in Lisbon

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Merrillville, IN and in Lisbon actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,725 in Merrillville, IN versus $2,206 in Lisbon.

  • Merrillville, IN $2,725
  • Lisbon $2,206

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,722 in Merrillville, IN versus $3,276 in Lisbon.

  • Merrillville, IN $3,722
  • Lisbon $3,276

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,719 in Merrillville, IN versus $4,346 in Lisbon.

  • Merrillville, IN $4,719
  • Lisbon $4,346

Living in Merrillville, IN is roughly 24% more expensive than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Merrillville, IN 102% above, Lisbon 63% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Merrillville, IN
Lisbon
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$15.29 $15.29
$16.86 €14.98
-9.31%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$55.2 $55.2
$61.0 €54.2
-9.50%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.14 $9.14
$10.98 €9.75
-16.76%
Cappuccino
$1.98 $1.98
$3.05 €2.71
-35.08%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.49 $1.49
$2.28 €2.03
-34.65%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.32 $2.32
$1.68 €1.49
38.10%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$4.48 $4.48
$3.44 €3.05
30.23%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.13 $6.13
$3.91 €3.47
56.78%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Merrillville, IN
Lisbon
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.77 $0.77
$1.15 €1.02
-33.04%
White Bread (500g)
$3.08 $3.08
$1.89 €1.68
62.96%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$4.60 $4.60
$1.50 €1.33
206.67%
Eggs
$4.61 $4.61
$4.12 €3.66
11.89%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.23 $11.23
$13.01 €11.55
-13.68%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.28 $9.28
$8.04 €7.15
15.42%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$21.61 $21.61
$17.89 €15.89
20.79%
Apples (1kg)
$5.99 $5.99
$2.27 €2.02
163.88%
Banana (1kg)
$1.09 $1.09
$1.74 €1.55
-37.36%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.54 $4.54
$1.82 €1.62
149.45%
Tomato (1kg)
$5.48 $5.48
$2.69 €2.39
103.72%
Potato (1kg)
$3.73 $3.73
$1.77 €1.57
110.73%
Onion (1kg)
$4.37 $4.37
$1.94 €1.72
125.26%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.38 $2.38
$1.46 €1.30
63.01%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.23 $1.23
$0.76 €0.68
61.84%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$11.43 $11.43
$6.66 €5.91
71.62%
Wine (Bottle)
$11.82 $11.82
$5.64 €5.01
109.57%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.01 $2.01
$1.29 €1.15
55.81%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.56 $3.56
$2.14 €1.90
66.36%
🚌 Getting Around
Merrillville, IN
Lisbon
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.77 $1.77
$2.30 €2.04
-23.04%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$67.1 $67.1
$44.02 €39.10
52.52%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$5.10 $5.10
$3.98 €3.54
28.14%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.82 $1.82
$0.64 €0.57
184.38%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$49.04 $49.04
$18.93 €16.81
159.06%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.98 $0.98
$2.28 €2.02
-57.02%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$27.4K $27.4K
$33.4K €29.6K
-18.00%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.5K $26.5K
$38.5K €34.2K
-31.07%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Merrillville, IN
Lisbon
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$258 $258
$158 €141
63.34%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$55.0 $55.0
$17.54 €15.58
213.45%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$55.2 $55.2
$31.18 €27.70
77.16%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Merrillville, IN
Lisbon
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$36.74 $36.74
$44.64 €39.66
-17.70%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$18.98 €16.86
-
Cinema Ticket
$15.02 $15.02
$9.58 €8.51
56.78%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Merrillville, IN
Lisbon
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,347 $1,347
$674 €598
99.91%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$15.9K $15.9K
$18.7K €16.6K
-15.24%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Merrillville, IN
Lisbon
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$54.4 $54.4
$102 €90.8
-46.80%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$40.53 $40.53
$45.90 €40.77
-11.70%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$107 $107
$102 €90.8
4.78%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$93.8 $93.8
$122 €108
-23.08%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Merrillville, IN
Lisbon
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,753 $1,753
$1,641 €1,457
6.85%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,457 $1,457
$1,187 €1,055
22.71%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,325 $2,325
$2,825 €2,509
-17.69%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,052 $2,052
$2,018 €1,793
1.69%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,169 $3,169
$7,836 €6,960
-59.56%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,247 $2,247
$4,701 €4,176
-52.20%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Merrillville, IN
Lisbon
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$1,687 €1,499
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.66
3.82
74.35%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Merrillville, IN: November 1, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Merrillville, IN
$1.5K
Lisbon
$1.2K 18.5% $270
Groceries & Markets
Merrillville, IN
$387
Lisbon
$275 29.1% $113
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Merrillville, IN
$369
Lisbon
$207 43.9% $162
Eating Out
Merrillville, IN
$223
Lisbon
$245 9.8% $22
Clothing & Footwear
Merrillville, IN
$133
Lisbon
$168 25.9% $34
Getting Around
Merrillville, IN
$88
Lisbon
$60 31.7% $28
Sport & Entertainment
Merrillville, IN
$67
Lisbon
$64 4.4% $3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,753 in Merrillville, IN and $1,641 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $55 in Merrillville, IN vs $61 in Lisbon. Groceries flip the comparison at $387 vs $275, with Lisbon cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇺🇸 Merrillville, IN
🇵🇹 Lisbon
🕒 Local time
16:16 4:16 PM
22:16 10:16 PM
6 h ahead of Merrillville, IN
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
36,444
545,923 Capital
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.13 USD (1 USD = 0.888 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 0.888 EUR (1 EUR = 1.13 USD).

On the map
Between locations
  • Merrillville, IN Lisbon 6,420 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Merrillville, IN
  • Lisbon

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index
Merrillville, IN vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Merrillville, IN and in Lisbon?
Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,725 in Merrillville, IN and $2,206 in Lisbon, so Lisbon is about 19% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
What salary covers living expenses in Merrillville, IN compared to Lisbon?
You’d need roughly $4,087 in Merrillville, IN and $3,309 in Lisbon to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.
How do apartment prices compare in Merrillville, IN and in Lisbon?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,753 in Merrillville, IN versus $1,641 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Merrillville, IN and Lisbon?
Childcare runs $1,347 in Merrillville, IN versus $674 in Lisbon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Supermarket bills run roughly 41% higher in Merrillville, IN. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
How far does $3,000 go in Merrillville, IN compared to Lisbon?
Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Lisbon gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.
How does quality of life compare between Merrillville, IN and Lisbon?
Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Merrillville, IN vs other spots: cost of living compared

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